After losing her husband and only child to the ravages of the Civil War, twenty-five-year-old Portia McAllister is drowning in grief. When she sees an ad for a live-in tutor in another town, she leaves everything behind in hopes of making a fresh start. But as a Confederate widow in a Union household, she is met with resentment from her new charge and her employer, war veteran Beau Stanford.

Despite their differences, she and Beau find common ground and the stirrings of a second chance at love until his late wife’s cousin, Lydia, arrives with her sights set on him. Burdened with a farm on the brink of bankruptcy, Beau is tempted by Lydia’s hefty dowry, though Portia has captured his heart.

In another time and another place, his choice would be easy. But love seems impossible amid the simmering chaos of Reconstruction that could boil over at any moment into an all-out battle for survival. Will Beau and Portia find their way into each other’s arms, or will they be swept away by raging forces beyond their control?

****

What readers are saying:

“The book truly encapsulated the situation of the time – a Confederate living in Union territory. The mere difference of opinion between Union and Confederate…the vestiges of the war…the consequences of one’s actions…the choice of who you love and how you show it.” ~Girl of 1000 Wonders Book Blog

*****

“If you enjoy stories from the Civil War then you will definitely enjoy this one. Don’t forget to grab the tissues before you start.” ~Heather, Goodreads Reviewer

**Brentwood, TN, 1865** On a frigid Christmas morning, a young widow decided to join the husband and daughter she had...
Posted by Mysti Parker on Friday, June 19, 2015

About the Author :

Mysti Parker is a wife, mom, author, and shameless chocoholic. She is the author of the Tallenmere standalone fantasy romance series and The Roche Hotel romantic comedy series. Her short writings have appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. Her award-winning historical romance, "A Time for Everything," will be published this summer by EsKape Press.

Other writing pursuits include serving as a class mentor in Writers Village University's seven week online course, F2K. She has published two children's books ("Quentin's Problem" & "Fuzzy Buzzy's Treasure") as Misty Baker.

When she's not writing fiction, Mysti reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specific publication. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.

“Now don’t give me that look, son. It’s been two years. You need to find somebody. Give Jonathan a mama.”

“He had a mama. And we’re fine.” Beau hated the way his voice broke every time someone forced him to talk about Claire, so he made his retreat into Scout’s stall. The sixteen-year-old stallion was the most level-headed Morgan he’d ever owned. He nuzzled his master as soon as he saw the brush in Beau’s hand.

Ezra followed, thumbs tucked behind his overall straps. “You’re not fine, Beauregard. You need a lady to run things around here. Harry and Isaac are back with the new teacher, right?”

“I reckon so.” He brushed Scout’s neck with soft, gentle strokes.

“Portia, wasn’t it? Portia McAllister?”

“You’d know better than me. I didn’t want to hire her in the first place. It’s bad enough she’s a Rebel’s widow, but Harry says she’s not what we expected. Is she blind or deaf or missing a leg or what?”

“Heck if I know, son. I ain’t met her yet, either. All I’ve seen is her letter.”

“And according to that letter, her husband worked as an overseer.”

“Part-time assistant to an overseer.”

“Same difference.”

“Don’t matter what he was. She’s a former schoolteacher. And you know Claire wanted this for Jonny until he’s old enough for the university. I ain’t gonna be responsible for her coming back to haunt us for not abiding by her wishes.”

Readers, since I write many subgenres of romance, I'd love to know: What is your favorite romance subgenre, and why? Also, what "heat" ratings in terms of sexual content, violence, & profanity do you prefer to read? I'm kind of an all over the place reader myself. I just love a good story.

We are actually on vacation (yeah, right LOL) this week, so I'll stop in again tonight. Cya! ~Mysti

In truth, when it comes to romance novels itself I'm all over the place, I like trying them all. My three fave subgenres are Contemporary, Paranormal, and YA/NA. And for heat rating it's the same ... doesn't really matter except for what I'm in the mood for at the time.

I just got off vacation too ... I hope you're enjoying yours. Have a good day! -- Jess

My Featured BookTube Video:

Subscribe to My Newsletter:

What the Star Ratings mean:

5 stars = LOVED THE BOOK[Idolizing In - To View: click here]4 stars = Really liked the book[Feasted On - To View: click here]3 stars = Thought it was a good book[Made the Grade - To View: click here]2 stars = OK book or not that interesting of book[Disappointmentville - To View: click here]1 star = WASN'T A FAN OF THE BOOK[What was I thinking? - To View: click here]

"Creating a video, is like documenting a moment in time or a part of someone's life, and I feel honored to do it for them." - Jess F.

This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.